Fully Baked

Letters proud enough to stand tall and cast a shadow of their own bring as much drama to the printed page as they do to the 3-D world. Yesterday our D-Crit class was treated to a walking tour of found street typography, led by Paul Shaw. We were en route to the Humanities Branch of the New York Public Library to learn research methods needed to delve deep into the treasures of the stacks.

This fabulous dimensional building number sign at left (I believe it was on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues) directly relates to these two ads I found at the library in a 1935 issue of Baker’s Helper, a magazine for the baking profession. (Whatelse?)

Reminiscent of the title sequences to black and white MGM movies, the typography delivers a much-appreciated dash of old Hollywood glamour to the humble world of pies and a mundane Manhattan block.